What's in a Title? War Films Trivia Quiz

Answer: Battleship Potemkin

The title "Battleship Potemkin" was taken from a real mutiny which happened on a real battleship of that name during the Russian Revolution of 1905. Thanks to the Russo-Japanese War (1904 - 1905), ships patrolling the Black Sea were left under the command of less experienced officers, and the Potemkin was one of those. When the men refused to eat maggot-ridden meat, the heavy-handed tactics of these officers led to rebellion.

The most famous scene of "Battleship Potemkin", called "The Odessa Steps", is semi-fictional in as much as there was no massacre actually on the steps. However, the city of Odessa was a stronghold of revolutionaries and when the Potemkin docked there, many of its citizens joined the uprising. The steps have changed names many times, but are apparently known locally as the Potemkin Stairs.

The aforementioned scene is what really made the film's reputation for both its technical and stylistic innovation, and the ardent sentimental melodrama. The film is blatant propaganda, but that takes nothing away from its brilliance and it is one of the most influential films ever made.

About the red herrings (all released 1925): "Strike" was also directed by Sergei Eisenstein, "Proud Flesh" was directed by King Vidor, and "Quo Vadis" was directed by Gabriellino D'Annunzio (Italian literary luminary Gabriele D'Annunzio's son) and Georg Jacoby.

Answer: All Quiet on the Western Front

"All Quiet on the Western Front" is based on a novel of the same name by World War I veteran Erich Maria Remarque. The title should actually be something like "Nothing New in the West" (a line from late in the book), if it were translated literally, but the English title captures the type of phlegmatic language used by those safely far from the action in a war whilst men are being slain.

The glory of fighting for one's fatherland is quickly put into perspective when the recruits get to the front where the bedlam of war is waiting for the lads. From then on it's pretty grueling to watch as the banal farce of men killing each other takes its course.

About the red herrings (all released 1930): "L'Age d'Or" is a surrealist treat directed by Luis Buñuel, "The Dawn Patrol" was directed by Howard Hawks, and "Up the River" was directed by John Ford and stars Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart, both gracing the silver screen for the first time.

Answer: Grand Illusion

"Grand Illusion" got its title from a book written by Nobel-Peace-Prize-winning economist Norman Angell called "The Great Illusion" which was published in 1909. The basic idea of the book is that war between industrialised nations makes no economic sense since they are interdependent.

As usual, one of Renoir's key themes was that of class, and the repartee between one of the French airmen, who is decidedly upper-class, and Captain von Rauffenstein (played by Erich von Stroheim), who is from the same social milieu, is fabulous.

When the film was re-released in 1958, Renoir shot a brief introduction in which he reveals that the film had been lost, and in an ironic twist of fate had actually been saved by the Nazis since they had confiscated a print which ended up being the only one to survive World War II intact.

"Grand Illusion" is often to be found on lists of "greatest films ever made", and deservedly so. The wonderful sets, the formidable performance of actors such as Jean Gabin and Erich von Stroheim, the cinematography, and the themes touched upon so deftly, all go towards making it an almost flawless tour de force.

About the red herrings (all released 1937): "Young and Innocent" was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, "The Prisoner of Zenda" stars and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and was based on the Anthony Hope novel of the same name, and "The Hurricane" was directed by John Ford.

Answer: The Bridge on the River Kwai

The film "The Bridge on the River Kwai" gets its name from the English title of a French novel called "Le Pont de la Rivière Kwai" by Pierre Boulle. It's fictional, but took the building of the Burma Railway, running from Bangkok and Rangoon, during World War II as its inspiration. The Japanese used forced labour to build the railway, and that workforce included British, American, Dutch, Canadian and New Zealander POWs, many of whom died.

In the film, Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson (played by Alec Guinness) refuses to let officers take part in the work and quotes the Geneva Conventions at the nonplussed commandant of the prison camp where he and his men are interned, thus the start of a battle of wills between the stiff-upper-lipped Brit and the despotic Japanese Colonel begins. It is exactly that British stubbornness that is so central to the film's brilliance. In the final scenes of the film, the viewer is driven to exasperation as Nicholson takes his pride (over his men doing a good job building the bridge) to lunacy.

About the red herrings (all released 1957): "High Tide at Noon" was directed by Philip Leacock, "Carry on Admiral" is a British comedy film but isn't part of the "Carry On" saga, and "Yangtse Incident" is a war film about the British ship HMS Amethyst which in 1949 was involved in the Chinese Civil War when the People's Liberation Army attacked it.

Answer: Pork Chop Hill

"Pork Chop Hill" is based on Samuel Marshall's book "Pork Chop Hill: The American Fighting Man in Action", an eyewitness account. The hill was officially called Hill 255, but because of the shape its contour lines made on a map, it got the name Pork Chop Hill. The fierce battles that took place there were a result of the Chinese delegates at the Panmunjom negotiation table testing the United Nations Command's commitment on the battlefield whenever talks reached a critical stage.

The film "Pork Chop Hill" is a pretty harrowing affirmation of the ludicrousness of war, but also a testament to the bravery of the soldier, and his obedience to his superiors, even when it means disregarding his innate common sense.

About the red herrings (all released 1959): "Ben-Hur" is a hugely successful epic directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston, "The Angry Red Planet" is a low-budget sci-fi flick, and "The Angry Hills", based on the novel by Leon Uris, was directed by Robert Aldrich and stars Robert Mitchum.

Answer: The Longest Day

"The Longest Day" is based on the non-fiction book of the same title by Irish journalist Cornelius Ryan. The longest day in question is of course 6 June 1944, D-Day, although both the book and the film spend quite a lot of time on the preceding days.

"The Longest Day" (film) is notable for its depiction of a myriad of events surrounding the actual landings, giving the novice a really broad picture. Many war films have impressive all-star casts, and "The Longest Day" is no exception with John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, Rod Steiger, Robert Wagner and Paul Anka playing the Americans (despite Anka being a Canadian), Kenneth More, Richard Todd, Richard Burton and Sean Connery playing the Brits, Gert Fröbe and Curd Jürgens amongst the Germans, and André Bourvil and Arletty two of the French.

About the red herrings (all released 1962): "Lawrence of Arabia", which was based on the life of the British Army officer T. E. Lawrence, was directed by David Lean. "Mutiny on the Bounty" was based on the Charles Nordhoff novel of the same name which was itself based on real events onboard the HMAV Bounty in 1789, and stars Marlon Brando as Fletcher Christian, and Trevor Howard as Captain William Bligh. "Long Day's Journey into Night" is a film adaptation of the Eugene O'Neill play of the same name, directed by Sidney Lumet.

Answer: Zulu

The film "Zulu" is a slightly fictionalized account of The Battle of Rorke's Drift in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. Many of the prime movers' names and ranks were kept although some of the descendents of those involved have complained about the unflattering and inaccurate portrayal in the film. One of those was Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead who is played as an upper-class twit for the first chunk of the film (by professional cockney Michael Caine no less!), and another was Private Henry Hook who is portrayed as a work-shy drunk.

Historical inaccuracies apart, "Zulu" is a fantastic film that delivers on every level from thrills, wonderful characters, and deep sense of anguish. It's clearly an anti-war film but it only preaches once or twice, and even then once is at the expense of a sanctimonious vicar.

About the red herrings (all released 1964): "A Shot in the Dark" is a Pink Panther comedy directed by Blake Edwards which stars Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau, "Night Must Fall" was directed by Karel Reisz and stars Albert Finney, and "Zorba the Greek" was based on the novel of the same name written by Nikos Kazantzakis.

Answer: The Dirty Dozen

The film's title "The Dirty Dozen" came directly from the book by E. M. Nathanson on which it is based. Nathanson's inspiration in said to have been The Filthy Thirteen who were part of a parachute infantry in the USA army during World War II. However, The Filthy Thirteen weren't crooks but simply hardcore, gung-ho soldiers. They got the name because they didn't care much for personal hygiene.

The film "The Dirty Dozen", which by the way sports an outstanding cast of stars including Lee Marvin, Telly Savalas, Charles Bronson, Ernest Borgnine and John Cassavetes, doesn't seem to have any point about war to make other than about comradeship and getting the job done. Many critics have vilified the film for its lack of gravitas as much as its dearth of plausibility. There is a clear anti-authoritarian slant, although if you look closely at who survives, there seems to be some morality going on too. Whatever, it's great fun to watch.

About the red herrings (all released 1967): "In Cold Blood" was based on Truman Capote's book of the same name about a real-life quadruple murder, "The Ambushers" is a spy comedy starring Dean Martin, and "In the Heat of the Night" is about a black police detective working in Mississippi. It was directed by Norman Jewison and stars Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger.

Answer: A Bridge Too Far

"A Bridge Too Far" was based on the non-fiction book of the same title by Irish journalist Cornelius Ryan. The title comes from a comment made by British Lieutenant-general Frederick Browning to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery during the planning stages of Operation Market Garden: "I think we may be going a bridge too far."

In the film, it's actually post-operation that Browning (played by Dirk Bogarde) rather flippantly says "I always felt we tried to go a bridge too far," displaying a goading callousness that leaves the viewer in no doubt over the film's sentiment.

"A Bridge Too Far" has a star-studded cast typical of war flicks which includes Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins, Ryan O'Neal, James Caan, Gene Hackman, and Robert Redford. For my money, Anthony Hopkins steals the show as the stoic Lieutenant Colonel John Frost, with Gene Hackman coming a close second as the much more animated and vociferous Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski of the Polish Armed Forces. The low-points are a dodgy-accented Laurence Olivier playing a Dutch doctor married to Liv Ullmann, and the ever-annoying Elliot Gould.

About the red herrings (all released 1977): "Cross of Iron" is a war film directed by Sam Peckinpah, which stars James Coburn, James Mason and David Warner, "The Choirboys" is cop comedy directed by Robert Aldrich, and "Fight for Your Life" is a weird mix of rape/revenge film and Blaxploitation which boasts the title of only film to end up on the infamous "video nasties" list in Britain due to racist language.

Answer: The Deer Hunter

The title comes from the fact that the two lead characters (Michael and Nick) are keen deer hunters and Michael strongly believes you should only ever get one shot at a deer. In a dramatic scene towards the end of the film the two reminisce about hunting trips and Nick reminds Michael of his "one shot" mantra.

"The Deer Hunter" is one of those war films in which a lot of the film happens away from the war, in fact less than a third is set in Vietnam. Furthermore, the pivotal scenes of Russian roulette are more than likely pure invention as there seems to be no evidence of the Viet Cong forcing prisoners to play it. However, the first third of the film showing the main characters' lives in a working class Pennsylvania town are wonderful, from the Russian Orthodox wedding to the hi-jinx of the set of friends. Equally, the last third of the film set "after" the war captures the difficulties people who have been through traumatic experiences must face when they go back to normality.

The infamous Russian roulette scenes also spawned a party game called Beer Hunter which although safer than the real McCoy, can get messy.

About the red herrings (all released 1978): "Up in Smoke" was comedy duo Cheech and Chong's first feature film, "Blue Collar", which was director Paul Schrader's debut feature film, is a look at union shenanigans starring Richard Pryor and Harvey Keitel, and "Midnight Express" was directed by Alan Parker.